Wiseguys - Start The Commotion Sample

Check out this track sampled by The Wiseguys on their track Start The Commotion off the Antidote album

The Ventures - Wild Child

Noiiiice !

Jadell - Before The Fall Sample

I just found out that Before The Fall by Jadell on the Gentlemen Of Leisure album uses a sample of Sneakin Up On You by Elaine Delmar.

I also found another version of Sneakin Up On You by Peggy Lee which is pretty nice...

How to remove sdra64.exe yourself - for free

This is an off-topic post about how to remove the virus sdra64.exe which somehow ends up in c:\windows\system32\sdra64.exe and you can't delete or rename it.

I searched online for 'remove sdra64.exe' and get bombarded by stupid-ass companies who all want to rip you off, by making you think you need their software. Some even say its free.. You use their software, it tells you you have problems (surprise surprise!) and then tells you you need to buy a license to do anything about it. Either that or you just end up on a page that makes out it is about tech support, but is actually just trying to get you there so it can show you no content and a million ads.

Well this lil post is the official screw-you to all those douchebags.

First off, this virus is so-say a keystroke logger, so whatever you do - don't do anything which involves typing passwords or sensitive data until we have removed it.


Step 1 - Print off these instructions.

Step 2 - Bring your PC up in safe mode: That means go to Start > Run > and type:

msconfig

This will bring up the msconfig utility.

On the General tab, select 'Selective Startup' and UNCHECK all the 4 boxes with checks in them so they are empty. Then go to the BOOT.INI tab and check /SAFEBOOT and MINIMAL (next to it).

Click apply and OK.

It will ask you if you want to reboot. Say yes.

Step 3 - When your PC has rebooted, go to Start > Run > and type regedit.

This brings up registry editor.

Now navigate down this path:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]

There will be a registry key in there called userinit. Its data will look like this:

C:\Windows\System32\Userinit.exe,C:\Windows\System32sdra64.exe,

Now what you need to do is remove the second bit I have highlighted in red(C:\Windows\System32sdra64.exe,)

BUT - as soon as you do **poof** it will add itself back in !!

(If you have just tried to remove that part - now click away to another folder in regedit and back into winlogon so you can see it back there again).

So what to do ??

This is where we get sneaky.

Keep regedit open on the userinit key we want to edit - we are coming back to it in a sec.

Press Ctrl Alt & Del and open the task manager. Go to the processes tab. End process on a few of the svchost.exe processes.

When you have done one or two of them you will get a message saying the PC is about to reboot in 60 seconds.

Go back to regedit - double click the userinit key to edit it.

The idea here is to remove the unwanted part (C:\Windows\System32sdra64.exe,) so you are just left with

C:\Windows\System32\Userinit.exe,

but DON'T click ok UNTIL the timer has almost completely run out.

We want to remove it with so little time left that the virus doesn't have time to add it back in again!!

I clicked OK somewhere between 1 and 0 seconds left.

Your PC will reboot now and come back up in safe mode again.

Step 4 - Check regedit to see if the change you made to the registry key in step 3 has worked. If not.. do it again.

If it has worked, you should see that all you have is

C:\Windows\System32\Userinit.exe,

Step 5 - Now go to Start > Run > and type C:\Windows\System32\ hit enter.

Find the file sdra64.exe (which now shouldn't be in use because we removed the command for it to load in Step 3).

Rename it to sdra64.bla and hit enter. It should let you because it isn't in use.

Step 6 - Now delete it.

Step 7 - Now go to your recycle bin and delete it from there too.

Step 8 - Delete all temporary internet files in Internet Explorer. (In Internet Explorer > Tools > Internet Options > and under browsing history click Delete.

Step 9 - Reboot your PC again. It will still be in safe mode.

When it comes back up, check to make sure that sdra64.exe is gone from C:\Windows\System32\

If it has, then you can remove the safeboot option.

Start > Run > type msconfig

Select Normal Startup

Hopefully you should now be rid of that god damn virus.

This is how I did it. Hopefully it will work for you too.

If you have any more info or tips that helped you, post them in the comments.

PEACE!

UPDATE: 03/08/09

I have been noticing a lot of comments about people still having problems getting rid of the sdra64.exe file itself.

I have had quite a few reports of getting around this using a simple freeware tool called Remove On Reboot, which allows you to right click the file, choose 'remove on reboot', and then the file gets deleted in the boot up process. Poof!

Sample Editing - Extend a short tone to infinity.

Say you've got a little sample or tone in a wave file (like an 'aaaahhhhhhh' for example, or maybe a long note) and you want to extend its length without timestretching, changing its pitch or making it sound looped. What could you do in a basic wav editor?



Here is a tidy way of extending samples seamlessly:

Select a part of the tone that variates very little i.e. it has a constant sound which doesn't change in volume, pitch or have any distinguishing features.

Select a suitable portion of the wave file that fits this criteria and cut and paste it to a new file.

In this new file we are going to fade out both the start and the end of the wave - we're talking the start of the first peak and the end of the last trough. This basically ensures that what you do next is clean and doesn't pop or click when it is looped.

Copy the whole waveform.

Paste the copy onto the end of the file so that you have two next to each other.

Reverse the part that you just pasted at the end.

Now you should have a wave that has doubled in length and plays forwards then immediately backwards. Like this:

You can now loop the whole thing and it should sound continuous.



I do this a lot with things like cymbal crashes, guitar notes etc etc and its a great way to stretch samples without runing the sound.

Even if the sound isn't as smooth as you'd hoped, you can still use it lower down in the mix and add other layers on top of it to create a sound texture.

You can even have a sound start, loop the middle part in this way and then let it play out at the end.

Jadell - Testify Sample

I've been digging for Johnny Harris records (of which there are hardly any).

As well as being a favourite of the Wiseguys, it seems Jadell is also a fan.

Jadell sampled the opening piano loop of You've Lost That Loving Feeling from All To Bring You Morning by Johnny Harris on his track Testify.

All To Bring You Morning is well worth a listen, as is Harris' first LP, Movements.

David Holmes - Essential Mix (Extra Info)

This is one of my favourite mixes of all-time, so naturally I've done plenty of digging for extra info on it since it came out in 1998.

One record used in this mix was uncredited (the two chicks chatting about being a madam during An Elephant Called Slowly by Howard Blake).


The record is the spoken word LP Xaveira! by Xaviera Hollander (a famous madam in the mid 70's). The copy I picked up is even signed by THE Xaviera (What the hell kinda name is 'Bink'?).

David Holmes also sampled the same LP at the start of Compared To What (on Bow Down to The Exit Sign) where she's talking to a bartender.


Another thing that makes this mix so god damn good is the echo effect right at the start of Contact by Brigitte Bardot. I asked Mr Holmes what kind of unit he used to get that effect. He used the legendary 1970's Roland Space Echo RE-201 tape echo.

If you want to use the same effect for your tracks and don't fancy forking out £400 for the original article, Roland have brought out a modernised, digital pedal which emulates the RE-201, called the RE-20 which you can pick up for around £150.

Cheaper still, there are loads of free VST plug-ins modelled on the RE-201 that you can download for free.

Vintage Tape Delay v1.0
Tape Delay V0.2
Analog Delay
Analogic Delay
Dubb Box
Karlette
Retro Delay V1.03

This page hosts many tape echo VSTs.

DJ Tips - Mixing Records (A Sneaky Trick)

Often, DJs rehearse their sets before a gig and figure out the mix points and turntable speed for each record they are going to play (yea yea yea.. I know it aint the cool way to do it, but who hasn't every now and then?).

If they don't have all that much time to learn everything, sometimes they'll note down their playlist and record speeds on a cheatsheet and take it to the gig with them.

The problem here is that they look an unprofessional douche bag scrambling around looking at a piece of paper every 3 minutes.

Here's a simple lil trick for DJs who need to preform a set they have barely rehearsed and NOT look like a plank.

To perform this cunning stunt you will need:

A: Small Post-It notes
B: A black felt tip pen
C: Some rekkids!


Remembering the running order of the records you are going to play is easy - just put them in the record box in the same order you're going to play em.

When you have the speed of a record figured out for that perfect seamless mix, note down the turntable speed on a post-it and stick it to the centre label of the record (along with any other little pointers like mix points etc).

Boo-ya. Now when you're at the gig, you just look like a dude taking out records and mixing them like it aint no thang.

Simple, but effective.

The Real Vibes

This here blog is where I am going to post up many savoury nuggets of info exploring a rich tapestry of sampling, record digging and music making in general.

I have nothing to post right now though.

Oh, apart from the fact that I just found out that the legendary 1994 track 'The Real Vibes' by the Wiseguys (off the 'Ladies Say Ow!' debut single) samples a tune by Johnny Harris called Footprints On The Moon, from an LP called Movements. I've gotta cop me a copy of that!

Peace (and watch this space).